Dominic

A giant pit in Switzerland will soon house the world's most powerful redox flow battery
https://newatlas.com/energy/switzerland-redox-flow-battery-flexbase/

Nordic Countries Built so Much Renewable Energy They Literally Have to Pay People to Use It
https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/nordic-countries-built-so-much-renewable-energy-they-literally-have-to-pay-people-to-use-it/

We used 588.6kWh of grid⚡ in Feb-2026 with
~77kWh for EV
200kWh general household activity
334kWh for ASHP
Delivering 1050kWh heat & DHW
our PV generated 72kWh, with 71kWh self consump & ~1.0kWh export
Total cost of elec: £110.32 inc VAT and standing charge (but excluding FiT payments for our PV).

Graph showing our annual household energy costs since 2015 (no account taken for general inflation = just the cost). As you will see those costs peak in 2023 because of the Ukraine war energy crisis. Last year cost was £863 and we earned £659 from our PV, so net cost to us was £204 for the whole of 2025.

Solar on canals reduces water evaporation by 70% and algae growth by 85%

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/05/04/solar-on-canals-reduces-water-evaporation-by-70-and-algae-growth-by-85/

We used 325.4kWh of grid⚡ in Apr-2026 with
94kWh for EV
190kWh general household activity
193kWh for ASHP
Delivering 650kWh heat
our PV generated 357kWh, with 298kWh self consump and ~59kWh export
Total cost of elec: £46.53 inc VAT and standing charge (but excluding FiT payments for our PV).

China targets retired EV batteries, mandates digital traceability for recovery
China is tightening control over EV supply chains by introducing new rules to standardise lithium-ion battery recycling.
https://interestingengineering.com/energy/china-targets-retired-ev-batteries

UK electricity grid is very low carbon today (windy and a bit sunny). As a consequence very little gas fired power generation is active on the grid (probably just the "spinning reserve").

New North Sea drilling would barely reduce UK gas imports at all, data shows
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/04/new-north-sea-drilling-jackdaw-rosebank-uk-gas-imports

@jbenjamint@mastodon.scot our house is now fully electric.

Iranian engineers rapidly restore airstrike-hit rail bridges: methods and risks for designers
https://www.geomechanics.io/news/article/iranian-engineers-rapidly-restore-airstrike-hit-rail-bridges-methods-and-risks-for-designers?category=infrastructure